Correspondence
by Bibliophile109
Summary: Tony Stark has always done his best to distance himself from Howard, but his greatest fear is that someone will discover just how similar they really are. In which Tony has secrets, the team has theories, and Steve is confused.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: It's not mine. Unfortunately.

* * *

It starts the first time he sees Howard Stark. He's five years old, and a lot of those five years were spent imagining this day, but nothing could have prepared him for the man that walked into his room and took over. Howard examines him, looks at computer screens, talks to doctors, and signs papers before taking him brusquely by the hand and leading him out (!) of the room.

It starts the first time he sees sunlight, the first time he leaves the building where he grew up. It starts when he comes to Miami, and is led into the Stark Mansion.

It's the first day of the rest of his life, and he will never forget it.

The moment that will never leave the back of his mind, though, is the moment he meets Maria. Howard takes him into the mansion, and he looks around with a numb sense of shock, and then she walks into the room and sees him.

"…Howard?" she asks, uncertainty battling fear in her expression. "Howard, who is that?"

And Howard leaves his side, drawing Maria into a sweeping kiss. When he pulls away, he smiles at her. "It's Tony, dear. This can be our son now."

And she stared at him for a few seconds, uncomprehending, before her eyes widened and she looked back and forth between Howard and him—Tony?—in growing horror.

"No," she says, her voice breaking. "No, you _didn't_." And she pushes Howard away, takes another dismayed look at 'Tony', and runs.

He'll never forget that moment. He'll never forget it, because Tony Stark—the _real_ Tony Stark—had died the week before.

Howard takes him aside, that first day, and explains his purpose. The real Tony had looked almost exactly like he did, so he wouldn't have to get plastic surgery; his main job would be to act as Tony did, feign the same interests and personality. Howard gives him a list of what foods to like, what shows to watch, and points out which toys should be his favorite.

He teaches him what he'll have to do in the future, as well: he'll present himself as a genius, a worthy heir to the Stark line, and eventually take over Stark Industries. He _is_ a genius, of course, he won't have to pretend, but Howard emphasizes the need to show potential early on.

He learns how to be Tony Stark, that day, and when the lesson is over he asks a question. Just one.

"What's my name, sir?"

Howard looks at him consideringly. "For legality, I'll have it changed to Antony Edward Stark. It's close enough to Anthony that I doubt anyone will notice, and it'll keep you from getting accused of impersonation. Never let anyone call you anything but Tony, and you'll be good."

"But what is it _really_?" he pushes, and Howard frowns in irritation.

"_Really_, it's Howard. According to genetics, that's the only name you're going to get. But like I said, you'll go by Tony if you know what's good for you."

Then he smiles, and the boy backs away slightly. "After all, cloning is illegal.

* * *

Antony grew up defining himself by his father. He was always sure to judge his actions: _Would Howard do this? Would this be suspicious?_ Every party he crashed, every model he dated, was calculated for maximum contrast between him and his creator. Howard had been a joker, but he'd always put work ahead of play, so Tony made sure to do the opposite… at least in appearance.

Of course, he gave Stark Industries all of his attention when he was outside the public eye. Antony had replaced Anthony, the original, for a reason; Howard wanted an heir, one that would carry on the Stark name and the Stark profit margins. So Tony was Howard's opposite in social life, but his match in business and intellect. He drove himself to invent like it was his purpose in life, and made even more advances than Howard had in the scientific community.

He'd grown up just like he was expected to. Tony was left to his own devices—'homeschooled'—until he want to MIT. After he entered into the public eye, he played his role to perfection. Many people commented on how much he looked like his father—but they would always chuckle and say that his personality must have come from his mother, because Howard would _never_ have acted like _that_.

All in all, he was a good little clone. He did what he was told, he cooperated with his 'father', and he carried on the Stark legacy.

Howard broke expectations, though. He died, him and Maria and Jarvis, and all of a sudden everyone who knew the truth about Tony was gone. They left Tony without a guiding hand, without someone to tell him what to do, and for the first time he had to be _independent._

He didn't react well. Later, he told himself that the drinking binge, the drugs and the chemicals and the recklessness, were all to contribute to his public image. He knew the truth, though. It didn't emphasize the contrast between him and his now-deceased creator at all—it did the opposite.

Howard had always been a drinker.

After a few months, a year or two, Tony pulled himself back together. Life was like it always was, he returned to the act he'd known for so long, and he resumed playing the playboy in public while slaving away over patents at home.

He did allow himself one bit of rebellion, though. Tony had always kept himself clean-shaven because Howard had always had a mustache. A bit after his 21st birthday, he changed that. The mustache was an act of defiance to a man who couldn't appreciate it. The beard, such as it was, served to distract from the mustache. An act of self-preservation, because without it he would be identical to his 'father'.

Funny, how his facial hair was a metaphor for his life.

* * *

A/N: Just so you know, Tony and Antony both refer to Howard's clone. When I'm talking about the Tony Stark that died when he was five, I'll specify or call him Anthony.

And no, that's not a spelling mistake.

Any input is appreciated!

~Bibliophile109


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm back! And you'll never guess what...

*drumroll*

This story is OFFICIALLY FINISHED being written! Well, I might write a short epilogue, but the main bit is finished. I'll post the last chapter sometime tomorrow (?).

This is literally the first story I've ever finished. Ever. Wow! I feel a strange sense of accomplishment...

Ohh... and I forgot to mention last chapter that my beta was the wonderful Emrys Is Merlin! Bow to his/her awesomeness, and scorn me for my evil oversight. (This chapter is unbeta'd, though.)

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Disclaimer: It ain't mine.

* * *

The Avengers were used to being the hottest thing in the news since the attack on New York. There had been countless articles on their exploits, numberless interview requests, and endless segments about their personal lives on TV. Tony had flaunted it, of course, but it had been a nasty shock for some of them—Natasha and Clint would twitch every time they saw their names in print, and Bruce tended to look around for exit signs when he heard anything about the Hulk. Steve, though, was surprisingly casual about it all, having been a media monkey before, and Thor… was a prince. Apparently, that came with a lot of publicity already.

Recently, however, the spotlight had been stolen by something far more ordinary than superhero shenanigans. The Supreme Court had taken over a controversial case, and journalists were ignoring the Avengers altogether in favor of flocking to D.C.

Tony wasn't taking it well, thought Steve as he examined the inventor. For the past week or so, Stark had been more and more withdrawn, snapping at anyone who interrupted his work and glaring at the TV whenever it was on. He'd spent the past three days locked in his lab, only coming out to grab food, and now that he'd finally been dragged out for a meeting with Fury, he was giving a death stare to anyone who addressed him.

Steve knew that Tony was used to having the press's attention, but this was ridiculous. _Howard_ never would have acted like this if he went a week without a media appearance.

Apparently SHIELD's PR department was getting antsy about it, too, though. The first words out of Fury's mouth were about the court case.

"I'm sure you've all heard about the Supreme Court's newest problem?" he said, leaning back in his chair at the end of the table and surveying the team with his good eye. "That whole deal with cloning that's got the media riled up?"

Steve nodded wearily. Before the ice, the only cloning he'd heard about was in science fiction. Now, everyone was talking about Dolly the sheep and ethics and secret labs and whatnot, and he'd be happy if he never heard about genetics again.

"They're planning on having a lot of eminent scientists testify," Fury continued. He seemed to be watching Stark closely; the genius, in turn, was fidgeting uncomfortably. After a moment, he continued. "SHIELD wants to make sure the ruling is the one we want. As such, our _own_ scientists will be out there as well."

He turned to Bruce. "Dr. Banner, before the incident you were renowned for your work in genetic engineering. And as far as the scientific community knows, you've been on a humanitarian mission in the third world these past few years. No one will doubt your credibility when you come to DC to testify—"

"And in what universe will I ever be allowed anywhere _near_ D.C.? The White House, the Supreme Court building, the Pentagon, the Library of Congress—I'm not going within a hundred miles of the place!" protested Bruce.

Fury rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, Doctor, it's bad for your blood pressure. We'll arrange a video call or something."

Then he turned to Tony. "Stark—"

"No."

"We need you to—"

"_No._ I'm an _engineer_, not a biologist! Get someone else!" the billionaire protested.

"You have a degree in molecular biology!" Fury shot back, sounding exasperated. "How are you not a biologist?"

Stark threw his hands into the air. "I have a degree in everything! The point is, it's not my _specialty_."

"I don't care. You're going."

Tony looked unreasonably furious. "I'm _not_ going, and you know very well why."

Fury rolled his eyes. "One would think that would be a reason for you to _want_ to testify!"

Steve looked back and forth between them as they fought, utterly confused.

"Well, maybe the ruling that you want is different from the one that _I_ want!" Tony said, outright yelling now. "Did you think of that?"

Bruce stepped in, trying to halt the argument. "Tony, what ruling _do_ you want? I haven't heard your opinion on this yet."

Tony took a few deep breaths, and opened his mouth like he was about to answer. Then he changed his mind. "I'm not doing this. You can do what you want, but leave me out of it." He stood and turned to leave the room.

Fury stopped him. "No, go on, Stark. What do you want to happen? What's your opinion on all of this?"

Tony closed his eyes. "In my humble, uninformed, _irrelevant_ opinion, cloning should be banned. Happy?"

Fury's good eye blinked. "What?"

_What?_ thought everyone else in the room simultaneously.

Tony left.

The team went back to the Tower as soon as they could get away from Fury, but Tony was already locked in his lab when they got there.

"Sir has requested that no one disturb him," JARVIS said, sounding disapproving, when they asked for access to the lab. "He is working, and would not take kindly to visitors at the moment."

"Well, crap," muttered Clint as they slowly made their way up to the living room. "Now what do we do?"

That pulled Steve out of his thoughts. "We figure out what all that was about, of course. Obviously something is bothering Tony, and we can't help him if we don't know what it is." Privately, he admitted to himself that he was curious, too. What _was_ all that about? And why were Tony and Fury so… argumentative about it?

They sat down and started brainstorming. "Friend Stark does not wish to discuss the replication of humans," volunteered Thor.

Bruce nodded. "He doesn't want to talk about cloning, and there's a reason, and Fury knows it."

Clint rolled his eyes. "Fury knows everything, that doesn't exactly narrow it down. What I thought was interesting is how he thought cloning should be banned, and Fury seemed surprised. Which, you know, doesn't happen. Ever."

Steve frowned. "So Tony has reasons for not talking about cloning. Fury knows those reasons, but he thinks they should make Tony want to legalize cloning. Except that Tony doesn't want to."

It sounded more confusing out loud, and everyone paused to consider this.

Bruce spoke again, breaking the silence. "Maybe Stark Industries is secretly doing research on cloning?"

"No, then Tony would want it legalized," Clint shook his head.

Steve's eyes lit up. "Maybe Tony's company has almost figured out a way to clone humans successfully, but he doesn't want it legalized yet because he doesn't want anyone else to beat him there!"

"We've had the technology to clone people for years," Bruce said dismissively. "As far as I know, no one's ever come out and admitted to cloning a human, but… a lot of private labs have the resources to do something like that, and keep it hidden."

Clint grinned. "Maybe his girlfriend is a clone! And he doesn't want it legalized because he wants her all to himself."

He turned to Natasha. "Hey, Nat, you had him under surveillance for a while, what do you think?"

She had been silent for most of the conversation, but now she tilted her head thoughtfully. "I remember that while I was his PA, Fury asked me to get a DNA sample from him. I thought I was just being paranoid at the time, but," she hesitated, "it seemed like Fury was acting weird about the results… "

Bruce was the first one who got what she was proposing, and his eyes widened. "No," he muttered, shaking his head and staring at her. "No, you can_not_ be suggesting what I think you are."

Clint frowned. "What am I missing?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at Natasha.

Then Steve got it, too. "Pepper isn't the clone, Clint," he said tightly. "Tony is."


	3. Chapter 3

Many thanks again to my amazing beta, Emrys Is Merlin!

This is the last chapter, but I'll post the epilogue pretty soon. :)

* * *

They didn't see Tony again until the next week, when Fury sent out the call to assemble against a group of AIM robots. He acted perfectly normal while they were fighting, even cracking a few jokes over the comm line. Once the fight was over, however, he made to head back to the Tower and was only stopped by Fury.

"Stark! Last time I checked, you still had to come to team debriefings," the director said, raising an eyebrow at the suit which was about to take off.

Tony raised his helmet and turned around in irritation. "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

He grumbled, but obeyed.

The debriefing finished quickly, and Tony was about to leave again when Steve called him over. "Tony! We need to talk to you."

Tony looked like a cornered animal. His eyes moved back and forth between the team members, assessing, and he looked like he might try to leave anyway when Fury spoke up.

"You go on and have a team meeting, stay here if you like. Stark, meet me in my office when you're done."

Tony would rather be anywhere other than where he was now. His well-practiced press smile wilted under stares from his teammates, and he fidgeted with his phone nervously under the table.

Steve, as always, was the one to break the silence.

"Tony, we've been wondering for a while if there's a reason that you don't want to talk at the court case," he said calmly, but Tony saw his fingers drumming a nervous rhythm on the conference room table.

He laughed. "Don't play dumb, Rogers. You've known the reason for the past week, and denying it won't achieve anything."

The rest of the team- minus Natasha- blinked at that. "How did you—"

Tony interrupted Bruce. "Come on, I _literally_ know everything that happens in the Tower. Did you think that just because you're not talking to him, JARVIS isn't listening?"

Natasha raised her eyebrows at the rest of them, as if to say that _she_ had of course been aware of this, and they were laughably naive if they had not.

Thor cocked his head. "Is this JARVIS similar to Heimdall? I was not aware that any Midgardians were in possession of such powers."

Tony shook his head, words flowing out too fast. "No, he's like the guardian of all Starktech. Wherever my tech goes, he goes. Right, buddy?" This last was addressed to the security camera in the ceiling corner, which moved up and down in response.

Steve coughed, feeling like they had gotten off-topic. "So you _are_ a clone, Tony?"

The billionaire got nervous again, folded his arms tightly against his chest. "What do you want me to say? That Howard Stark was even smarter than he told the world? That your old friend isn't quite as dead as you thought he was?" He spat the words out, defensive, and the Avengers flinched back.

"Actually," Steve said, voice wavering ever-so-slightly, "I was wondering why you don't look like him."

Clint frowned. "Have you _seen_ Stark? I never really noticed it, but the beard is the only reason he's not identical to Howard."

Steve shook his head, never taking his eyes off Tony. "I can tell you're—I mean, I can see the resemblance, but you're not identical. There're little differences—your nose is straighter, for one, and your cheekbones are a bit more—um, prominent." He flushed, but Tony didn't comment. Maybe later, he'd mention how flattered he was that Steve paid so much attention to his face. Now though… he couldn't joke believably about anything right now.

He started talking again, glad for the excuse. "Well, that's actually Dad's fault—sorry, Howard's, bad habit—Howard's fault, because Bruce isn't the first one to fudge up lab safety rules; there was an incident when Howard was in his teens, and he built something that blew up in his face—literally, I mean, like it went ka-boom twelve inches from his nose—so, facial reconstruction surgery and all that jazz, Howard looks a bit different. Not that I mind, though, it kept me from having to get plastic surgery, which I appreciate very much because A) painful and B) the ladies like me the way I am…." Tony trailed off, and realized distantly that he was babbling.

There was silence, and the Avengers took turns avoiding eye contact with him. "Soooo… yeah. We look different—well. Different enough," he finished, somewhat lamely.

A long pause, he fidgeted, and then Natasha spoke. "Why?" she asked simply.

Tony knew what she meant, and the last dredges of his act drained away as he slumped in his chair, pinched his nose. "Why did Howard make me? Why do I exist? Why am I playacting as my creator's son?"

He looked his teammates in the eyes, then, gave them a level stare. "You have to understand, Howard and Maria _had_ a son. A real one, not me. He was named Anthony E. Stark, and he was a genius, and I'm told that his mother, at least, loved him very much. Howard, though…." He paused, closed his eyes, began again. "I don't know how Anthony died. I don't know what happened to the original Tony Stark. But I can guess.

"Maybe it was a car accident. Maybe it was a kidnapper, or a rabid nanny, or a disgruntled employee. But I can't help but think that maybe, for Howard, a genius son wasn't enough. My theory is that one day, little Anthony couldn't live up to Howard's expectations, and Howard decided that he needed a _better_ heir to carry on his legacy." Steve flinched, but he couldn't ignore the ring of truth that the words had.

Tony spread his arms, bitterly. "Who could possibly do a better job than Howard himself? So Howard remembered his pet project from a few years before, what amounted to an organ donor growing in a lab."

"You were made as an _organ donor_?" Clint asked in disbelief, interrupting the story.

Tony shrugged. "Howard was irresponsible about his health, but he knew that all the drinking would catch up to him someday. So yes, I started out as little more than a replacement liver in Howard's eyes.

"I lived in that lab for five years. I learned from observing the scientists, learned to talk and walk, and I learned what I was made for. And when I got out, when Howard came for me? I learned how to act. He told me in no uncertain terms what it meant to be Tony Stark."

"'Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist'?" Steve quoted, shame bubbling in his gut.

Tony gave him a sharp nod. "I had to be as different from Howard as I could be, at least to the media. Howard considered himself to be fairly restrained, in the social circles—"

Steve couldn't help but snort.

Tony smirked wryly at him, but continued. "Well, he settled down a lot after he got married…. So I had to be a playboy to protect the deep, dark secret of my origins. The genius bit was only expected out of Howard's son, and I had to keep his company doing well anyway if I was to be any good as an heir. To be a philanthropist and a billionaire… well, Howard once said my purpose in life was to carry on the Stark name and the Stark profit margins."

"And do you agree with this?" Bruce asked, raising his eyebrows and conveying a reasonable amount of worry while keeping the rest of his face Zen calm.

Tony had to consider that. "I don't particularly like Howard much, _or_ what he did," he said slowly. "Even ignoring my suspicions about Anthony, he made my childhood pretty crappy as well; kids shouldn't grow up in lab cages. And pretending to be a dead person sucks, there's no point in even trying to deny it. But still…" Tony shook his head. "The man is _literally_ me—how can I get mad at him or say he was a jerk without coming across as suicidal?"

Bruce frowned. "He's _not_ you. Have you ever heard of Nature versus Nurture?"

"I'm living proof of it," Tony said, rubbing his forehead. "But that's the problem! No matter how different our personalities may seem, I'm constantly reminded of him. Everything I do, every word, every _gesture_ has to be monitored so my—my mannerisms, my habits—don't remind people of him!"

He sat back, breathing heavily, and the team pondered this for a moment before Steve leaned forward.

"Are you pretending right now?"

Tony looked at him, shook his head mutely.

"Tony, I _knew_ Howard. Not as well as everyone seems to think, and not as much as I would have if I hadn't gotten stuck in the ice—but I _did_ know him. Trust me when I say that the past half-hour has reminded me less of Howard than you ever did for the rest of the time I've known you."

There was another long pause; Tony watched him, searching for the truth in his words. Then Tony nodded, stood up.

"Thanks," he said quietly. And then he smiled, a genuine one. "Let's see if Fury's still waiting for me."

Fury looked up from his computer screen as Tony walked in, making no effort to hide the security camera feed of the conference room that he'd been watching.

"Stark," he said in greeting.

The billionaire clasped the edge of the desk. "First things first, Fury: my name is Antony, make sure your records have it right."

"And?" Fury questioned when it seemed no more was forthcoming.

Tony Stark grinned, sharp and dangerous. "When did the courts want me to testify, again?"

* * *

A/N: Yay! It's done! Or done-ish, I guess, because I haven't posted the epilogue yet. Everything's written, though!

Let me know what you think!


	4. Epilogue

A/N: It's done! Thanks again to my beta, Emrys Is Merlin.

Disclaimer: Otnay inemay.

* * *

The Supreme Court building was full of camera flashes and reporters. Everyone had heard who would be there today, and no one wanted to miss it.

As the meeting started up, Tony sat next to Pepper with the other 'witnesses' and tried to calm her down. He had refused to rehearse his speech with her, which made her understandably nervous, and now he was sending texts and making quick phone calls with an unusually serious expression on his face.

They called him up in short order, and he turned to Pepper.

"Just so you know, I did my research," he said quickly in an undertone. "There won't be any legal problems, my birth certificate checks out, and only an idiot would try to get me for misrepresentation. So don't worry, ok?" He flashed her a brief smile, but its effect was somewhat dimmed by the panic his words had sent racing through her thoughts.

Then he got up, and everything went silent except for the flashing cameras.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Tony said, looking out over the crowd, "you all know why I'm here. You know why _all_ of us are here, in fact: to determine whether or not cloning should be banned." He paused. "I'm here to tell you that this is the wrong question. Cloning is an issue of ethics, but even once we've considered whether or not clones have the right to exist—" he somehow says this with a straight face—"we have to decide what will be done with them.

"If cloning is legalized, who is allowed to make clones? What limits are put on their treatment? Where does their DNA come from, and who is licensed to harvest it? And if cloning is banned, what will be done with the clones that are made anyway? Because make no mistake, there are clones out there right now."

Tony looked directly at the justices. "It's been pointed out that Biology isn't my specialty. However, I consider myself uniquely qualified to answer these questions. No, I've never cloned anyone before, and Stark Industries has no research into that area as far as I'm aware. But all the same, this is an issue that has had a huge effect on my life, in more ways than one."

He hesitated, wondering how to phrase the next part. "You see, forty-three years ago, Howard and Maria Stark had a son. They named him Anthony, and of course he was a genius like his father, and he had the personality of his mother. And people called him Tony, and _naturally_ he grew into the most adorable five-year-old ever."

The way Tony said it, people laughed, thinking he was talking about himself. He grinned at them, a shark's smile that was all teeth and dark humor. He continued.

"And then that little five-year-old died."

The courthouse went silent. Cameras stopped flashing and people stopped whispering as everyone tried to figure out if he had really just said that.

Tony's smile grew wider. "But, of course, that was no problem for Howard, right? They'd lost a Stark boy, but it just so happened that he had a spare Stark lying around. All it took was a drive to his private lab, a bit of paperwork, and, hey! Presto! 'Maria, stop crying, I found us a new son!'" Tony imitated. "'None of _your_ genes, unfortunately, but at least we know he'll grow up to be handsome!'"

He'd been waving his arms animatedly, and he paused to catch his breath.

One of the justices spoke. "Mr. Stark, are you saying that _you_ are a…" He trailed off.

"Clone?" Tony finished for him. "That's _exactly_ what I'm saying. My genetic makeup is identical to Howard's, and I grew up in a lab."

He folded his arms and leaned against the wooden railing. "Your Honors, my name is Antony Edward Stark, and maybe biology isn't my specialty, but I can _guarantee_ that you won't find anyone who's thought more about the issues of cloning than I have."

He talked for a long time after that. There were questions, and demands, and accusations, and he had to respond to them all. Tony never let his trademark smile falter, ever-conscious of the cameras broadcasting his every move across the world.

It was hours later when he drove home with Pepper and Happy. There were tears on Pepper's part and many explanations on his, and Happy listened to it all with an exasperated look on his face.

It was much later when Pepper leaned against him on the couch in the Tower. "You know this is going to change everything, right?" she asked, looking up at him.

Tony smiled down at her. "Hey, I'm Tony Stark! What's the worst that could happen?"

They didn't stop laughing for a long time.

* * *

A/N: What do you think? I might write more in this universe, if anybody's interested-I have _lots_ of ideas :). Not right now, though; I just started a Harry Potter story (Salazar Slytherin!centric, eventually might be Harry-is-Salazar if anybody's interested) and I'll probably be working on that for a while.

Have fun, and don't forget to review!

~Bibliophile109


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